2003–04 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season
The 2003/04 football season saw Plymouth Argyle regain a place in the second tier of English football for the first time in twelve seasons, Along the way to capturing the Division Two championship they accumulated 90 league points, 21 clean sheets and a club record of seven straight clean sheets whilst also losing arguably the most successful manager in recent history in Paul Sturrock to Southampton F.C.
| 2003–04 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Paul Sturrock August–March Kevin Summerfield (caretaker) March–April Bobby Williamson April onwards |
| Division Two | 1st |
| FA Cup | First Round |
| League Cup | First Round |
| Football League Trophy | Second Round (South) |
| Top goalscorer | David Friio (14 goals) |
| Highest home attendance | Queens Park Rangers (19,888) Away: Sheffield Wednesday (20,090) |
| Lowest home attendance | Wycombe Wanderers (4,298) Away: Colchester United (2,367) |
| Biggest win | 7–0 Chesterfield (home) |
| Biggest defeat | 3–0 Queens Park Rangers (away) 3–0 Tranmere Rovers (away) 4–1 Oldham Athletic (away) |
Players
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- Evans was born in Plymouth, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in October 1997.
- Capaldi was born in Porsgrunn, Norway, but also qualified to represent Scotland and Northern Ireland internationally through his father and grandmother respectively and represented Northern Ireland at U-18 and U-21 level before making his international debut for Northern Ireland in March 2004.
- Gilbert was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and represented Wales at U-21 level.
- O'Sullivan was born in Akrotiri, Cyprus, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented the Republic of Ireland at U-21 level.
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Pre-season
Matches
| 15 July 2003 | St Blazey | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Blaise Park, Cornwall |
Evans |
| 23 July 2003 | SV Wacker Burghausen | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle |
| 26 July 2003 | SC Schwanenstadt | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | |
| 45 Minute Match |
| 26 July 2003 | FC Astra Giurgiu | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | |
| 45 Minute Match |
| 28 July 2003 | SV Bad Ischl | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | |
| Beresford |
| 30 July 2003 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Charlton Athletic | Home Park |
| Friio Wotton |
| 2 August 2003 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | West Bromwich Albion | Home Park |
| 4 August 2003 | Saltash United | 0–5 | Plymouth Argyle | Kimberley Stadium, Saltash |
| Lowndes Coughlan Beresford |
Last updated: 5 November 2014
Source:Greens on Screen
Football League Division Two
Matches
| 9 August 2003 1 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Grimsby Town | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Keith 32' Coughlan 51'Capaldi  |
Boulding 28' Anderson 64'Barnard Cas |
Attendance: 9,590 Referee: L Cable |
| 16 August 2003 2 | Rushden and Diamonds | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Nene Park, Irthlingborough |
| 15:00 | Lowe 54' Jack 56'Mills |
Capaldi 77' Friio |
Attendance: 4,045 Referee: B Knight |
| 23 August 2003 3 | Plymouth Argyle | 3–1 | Stockport County | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Keith 21' Hodges 23'Bent 28'Norris Evans |
Beckett 43' Goodwin Gibb |
Attendance: 7,594 Referee: Eddie Ilderton |
| 25 August 2003 4 | Chesterfield | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Saltergate, Chesterfield |
| 19:45 | Brandon 50' Mark Allott |
Friio 66' |
Attendance: 4,089 Referee: Mark Clattenburg |
| 30 August 2003 5 | Plymouth Argyle | 3–3 | Brighton | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Coughlan 19' Stonebridge 81'Friio 89'Wotton Evans |
Connolly (o.g.) Butters 36'Knight 73'Roberts Hart |
Attendance: 9,289 Referee: M Fletcher |
| 6 September 2003 6 | Brentford | 1–3 | Plymouth Argyle | Griffin Park, London |
| 15:00 | May 27' Fieldwick Roget  89' |
Stonebridge 9' Evans 58' 84' |
Attendance: 5,688 Referee: Steve Tomlin |
| 12 September 2003 7 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Luton Town | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Evans 82' Friio 90'Wotton |
McSheffrey 58' Coyne Showunmi |
Attendance: 9,894 Referee: Anthony Bates |
| 16 September 2003 8 | Peterborough United | 2–2 | Plymouth Argyle | London Road, Peterborough |
| 19:45 | Arber pen' (27) Clarke 81'Legg Shields |
Wotton pen' (10) Capaldi 84' |
Attendance: 4,183 Referee: R Pearson |
| 20 September 2003 9 | Wrexham | 2–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham |
| 15:00 | Lawrence 28' Jones Pen' (42)Whitley Edwards |
Norris 31' Capaldi 49'Wotton |
Attendance: 3,945 Referee: Michael Ryan |
| 27 September 2003 10 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Barnsley | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Coughlan 38' Evans 75' |
Gallimore Fallon |
Attendance: 8,695 Referee: Richard Beeby |
| 27 September 2003 11 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Bristol City | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Evans |
Peacock 27' Butler Lita |
Attendance: 13,923 Referee: P Armstrong |
| 4 October 2003 12 | Wycombe Wanderers | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Adams Park, High Wycombe |
| 15:00 | Vinnicombe |
Attendance: 5,708 Referee: Mike Thorpe |
| 11 October 2003 13 | Plymouth Argyle | 6–0 | Tranmere | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Friio 7' Wotton 38'Gilbert 45'Keith 49'Evans 56' Norris 79' |
Gray Taylor |
Attendance: 7,610 Referee: Andre Marriner |
| 18 October 2003 14 | Port Vale | 1–5 | Plymouth Argyle | Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent |
| 15:00 | Keith 35' Friio 38' 72'Adams 45'Wotton 46' |
Burns |
Attendance: 5,786 Referee: Lee Probert |
| 22 October 2003 15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–3 | Plymouth Argyle | Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield |
| 19:45 | Reddy 84' Smith Holt |
Friio 22' 64' Wotton pen' (46)Norris |
Attendance: 20,090 Referee: G Laws |
| 25 October 2003 16 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–0 | Blackpool | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Keith 42' Coughlan Adams |
Southern Douglas 55'Bullock |
Attendance: 12,372 Referee: Steve Tanner |
| 1 November 2003 17 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Oldham | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Wotton 17' Friio 43'Evans 50' |
Beharall 10' 63' Sheridan 43'Murray 76' |
Attendance: 11,205 Referee: M Warren |
| 15 November 2003 18 | Queens Park Rangers | 3–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Loftus Road, London |
| 15:00 | Gallen 35' 75' Thorpe 72'Bean |
Attendance: 17,049 Referee: Trevor Parkes |
| 22 November 2003 19 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Hartlepool United | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Keith 45' Lowndes 48' Coughlan Aljofree Norris |
Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Iain Williamson |
| 29 November 2003 20 | Colchester United | 0–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Layer Road, Colchester |
| 15:00 | Capaldi 4' Keith 11'McCormick Connolly Gilbert Hodges Wotton |
Attendance: 4,332 Referee: Kevin Wright |
| 13 December 2003 21 | Swindon Town | 2–3 | Plymouth Argyle | County Ground (Swindon), Swindon |
| 15:00 | Fallon 80' Parkin 90' Robinson 90' |
Capaldi 13' Norris 76'Keith 90'Wotton |
Attendance: 9,374 Referee: B Curson |
| 20 December 2003 22 | Plymouth Argyle | 3–0 | Notts County | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Lowndes 28' Evans 79' 82' |
Fenton Bolland Caskey |
Attendance: 9,923 Referee: R Olivier |
| 26 December 2003 23 | AFC Bournemouth | 0–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Dean Court, Bournemouth |
| 15:00 | Feeney Cummings |
Wotton 22' Norris 40' |
Attendance: 8,901 Referee: Richard Beeby |
| 28 December 2003 24 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Brentford | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Capaldi 48' Lowndes 63'Connolly Coughlan |
Kitamirike Roget 42' |
Attendance: 17,882 Referee: P Prosser |
| 3 January 2004 25 | Plymouth Argyle | 7–0 | Chesterfield | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Hodges 4' Capaldi 11'Lowndes 12' 18'Friio 15' 36' 88' |
Davies |
Attendance: 13,109 Referee: Keith Hill |
| 10 January 2004 26 | Grimsby Town | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Blundell Park, Grimsby |
| 15:00 | Gilbert Aljorfree Friio Hodges |
Attendance: 5,007 Referee: Eddie Evans |
| 17 January 2003 27 | Plymouth Argyle | 3–0 | Rushden and Diamonds | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Coughlan 47' Stonebridge 58'Wotton 90' |
Bignot 59' |
Attendance: 13,021 Referee: Clive Penton |
| 24 January 2004 28 | Stockport County | 0–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Edgeley Park, Stockport |
| 15:00 | Friio 29' Coughlan 62' |
Gibb Lambert |
Attendance: 6,608 Referee: Paul Robindon |
| 31 January 2004 29 | Brighton | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Withdean Stadium, Brighton |
| 15:00 | Benjamin 12' Knight 34'Watson |
Lowndes 88' |
Attendance: 6,379 Referee: Phil Joslin |
| 7 February 2004 30 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | AFC Bournemouth | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Capaldi |
Buxton Cummings |
Attendance: 13,371 Referee: B Knight |
| 17 February 2004 31 | Tranmere Rovers | 3–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Prenton Park, Tranmere |
| 19:45 | Dadi 19' 52' Hume 23' |
Aljofree Norris |
Attendance: 7,948 Referee: M Cowburn |
| 21 February 2004 32 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Port Vale | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Phillips 80' Stonebridge 90'Capaldi Aljofree |
McPhee 53' Pilkington Paynter |
Attendance: 13,371 Referee: B Knight |
| 28 February 2004 33 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Bloomfield Road, Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Evans |
Stonebridge 54' Adams Aljofree |
Attendance: 7,253 Referee: Scott Mathieson |
| 2 March 2004 34 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield |
| 19:45 | Evans 7' Coughlan 77'Connolly |
Geary Barry-Murphy Quinn |
Attendance: 17,218 Referee: Andy Penn |
| 6 March 2004 35 | Notts County | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Meadow Lane, Nottingham |
| 15:00 | Keith |
Bolland Scoffham |
Attendance: 8,057 Referee: Nigel Miller |
| 13 March 2004 36 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Swindon Town | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Keith 11' Evans 84'Friio |
Gurney 75' Mooney 90' |
Attendance: 16,080 Referee: P Walton |
| 16 March 2004 37 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Peterborough United | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 19:45 | Lowndes 55' Wotton pen' (79)Connolly |
Arber |
Attendance: 13,110 Referee: Joe Ross |
| 20 March 2004 38 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Kenilworth Road, Luton |
| 15:00 | Coyne 42' Holmes Howard Nicholls 46' |
Adams 90' Friio |
Attendance: 8,499 Referee: Graham Salisbury |
| 27 March 2004 39 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | Wrexham | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Norris Lowndes Evans |
Morgan 56' Ferguson 90' |
Attendance: 12,275 Referee: P Taylor |
| 3 April 2004 40 | Barnsley | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Oakwell, Barnsley |
| 15:00 | Birch 81' Betsy Neil Shuker |
Norris |
Attendance: 9,266 Referee: Mark Clattenburg |
| 10 April 2004 41 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Coughlan 39' Evans 80'Hodges |
Tyson 5' Nethercott |
Attendance: 14,806 Referee: D R Crick |
| 13 April 2004 42 | Bristol City | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Ashton Gate, Bristol |
| 19:45 | Peacock 85' Roberts Doherty |
Bent |
Attendance: 19,045 Referee: R Pearson |
| 17 April 2004 43 | Oldham Athletic | 4–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Boundary Park, Oldham |
| 15:00 | Johnson 34' 61' Owen 42'Eyres 45'Murray 67' |
Wotton 51' 53' |
Attendance: 6,924 Referee: M Cowburn |
| 24 April 2004 44 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Queens Park Rangers | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Evans 81' Friio 86'Hodges |
Padula Ainsworth Gallen |
Attendance: 19,888 Referee: Paul Durkin |
| 1 May 2004 45 | Hartlepool | 1–3 | Plymouth Argyle | Victoria Park (Hartlepool) |
| 15:00 | Boyd 11' Westwood Williams |
Hodges 12' Lowndes 42'Tinkler og' (48) |
Attendance: 7,437 Referee: Anthony Leake |
| 8 May 2004 46 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Colchester United | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Friio 17' 62' Norris 47' |
Brown Bowry |
Attendance: 19,868 Referee: A R Hall |
Last updated: 8 November 2014
Source:Soccerbase
FA Cup
Matches
| 8 November 2003 Round One | Northampton | 3–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Sixfields, Northampton |
| 15:00 | Walker 37' Hargreaves 60'Asamoah 83'Sampson Trollope |
Friio 32' Stonebridge 63'Evans |
Attendance: 4,385 Referee: L Cable |
Last updated: 9 November 2014
Source:Soccerbase
League Cup
Matches
| 12 August 2003 Round One | Colchester United | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Layer Road, Colchester |
| 19:45 | Fagan 22' Pinault 40' Brown Stockley |
Evans 24' Gilbert Capaldi Keith |
Attendance: 2,367 Referee: Joe Ross |
Last updated: 9 November 2014
Source:Soccerbase
Football League Trophy
Matches
| 14 October 2003 Round One | Plymouth Argyle | 4–0 | Bristol City | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 19:45 | Keith 10' Lowndes 45' 86'Gilbert 55'Capaldi |
Butler Doherty |
Attendance: 4,927 Referee: D R Crick |
| 4 November 2003 Round Two | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home Park, Plymouth |
| 19:45 | Coughlan 22' Evans 34' |
McSporran 8' 15' Johnson Branston 90' |
Attendance: 4,298 Referee: B Curson | |
| Note: (Wycombe Win 4–2 On Penalties) | ||||
Last updated: 9 November 2014
Source:Soccerbase
Notable events
- 22 October 2003: Plymouth Argyle defeat Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 at Hillsborough to go top of Division Two.
- 24 October 2003: Argyle receive performance of the week award for their 5–1 victory over Port Vale.
- 1 November 2003: Paul Sturrock named Division Two Manager of the Month for October.
- 6 November 2003: David Friio announced as Division Two player of the month for October.
- 23 December 2003: Paul Sturrock signs a four and a half year contract with Argyle.
- 26 December 2003: Paul Wotton scores Argyle's 5000th League goal in a 2–0 victory over AFC Bournemouth. Plymouth Argyle become the first League side to score 50 goals in that season.
- 2 January 2004: Paul Sturrock named Division Two Manager of the Month for December.
- 3 January 2004: David Friio scores the first hat-trick for Argyle since Paul McGregor in March 2000.
- 6 January 2004: Paul Sturrock named as winner of the second quarter of the League managers Association's Tissot Managers' Performance League.
- 17 January 2004: Billy Rafferty and Paul Mariner make a guest appearance at Home Park. Argyle played Rushden & Diamonds on that day and won 3–0.
- 5 February 2004: Graham Coughlan announced as Division Two player of the month for January.
- 19 February 2004: The club's first retail outlet in Plymouth city centre opens. The club also unveils next season's away kit – the first to be voted for by fans.
- 2 March 2004: Plymouth Argyle complete the second "double" over Sheffield Wednesday in their history, by beating them for a second time in the season. Argyle won the match 2–0.
- 3 March 2004: Paul Sturrock agrees personal terms to take over as Southampton manager.
- 4 March 2004: Sturrock is unveiled by Southampton as their new manager at a press conference.
- 17 March 2004: The club announces that next year's away kit will be white, instead of tangerine, due to supporter demands.
- 27 March 2004: One hundred former Argyle players returned to Home Park for the game against Wrexham.
- 31 March 2004: Tony Capaldi becomes the first Plymouth Argyle player to win a cap for a home nation since Dave Phillips (Wales) in 1984. Capaldi plays for Northern Ireland.
- 10 April 2004: It becomes mathematically certain that Plymouth Argyle will achieve promotion or a play-off place, following a 2–1 win over Wycombe Wanderers.
- 20 April 2004: Bobby Williamson is unveiled as the permanent successor to Paul Sturrock, following much speculation about the managerial vacancy.
- 24 April 2004: A 2–0 win over Queens Park Rangers hands Argyle both promotion and the Division Two title.
- 6 May 2004: Graham Coughlan is named as the Division Two player of the season.
- 8 May 2004: Mickey Evans is announced as the club's player of the season and Luke McCormick as the most promising player as decided by fans. Plymouth Argyle are presented with the Division Two trophy after their 2–0 win over Colchester United
- 17 May 2004: Paul Sturrock is named as the Division Two manager of the season for his efforts at Argyle.
- 21 May 2004: The club holds its centenary ball to celebrate the previous season. The Plymouth Argyle team of the century, decided by supporters, is announced.
Transfers
Out
| Date | Player | Transfer | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September 2003 | Brian McGlinchey | Three month loan | Torquay United | - |
| 24 September 2003 | Joe Broad | Sale | Torquay United | Free |
| 2 October 2003 | David Beresford | One month loan | Macclesfield Town | - |
| 4 November 2003 | David Beresford | Sale | Tranmere Rovers | Free |
| 9 January 2004 | Jani Viander | Sale | Brentford | Free |
| 13 January 2004 | Brian McGlinchey | Sale | Torquay United | Free |
| 1 June 2004 | Martin Phillips | Release | - | - |
| 1 June 2004 | Jason Bent | Release | - | - |
| 1 June 2004 | Eugene Kangulungu | Release | - | - |
| 1 June 2004 | Wayne O'Sullivan | Release | - | - |
| 6 July 2004 | Matthew Villis | Season loan | Torquay United | - |
| 30 July 2004 | Ian Stonebridge | Sale | Wycombe Wanderers | Free |
References
- "FootballSquads - Plymouth Argyle - 2003/04".
- "GoS-DB Season".
- "2003/04 Championship Season". Greens On Screen. Greens On Screen. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
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